Essays, Reviews, Commentary, and Original Scholarship. A Film Blog that strives to be Art.

Sunday, March 14, 2010

The statute of limitations has long-since passed on the 'crimes' of George Lucas.

"No! Everyone will tell you to let it go and move on, but don't! Instead, let it fester and boil inside of you! Take these feelings and lock them away. Let them fuel your actions. Let hate be your ally, and you will be capable of wonderful, horrid things. Heed my words: don't let it go."

Star Wars Episode One: The Phantom Menace opened eleven years ago this May 19th. Judging by the trailer above, some people have never recovered. The prequels were never intended to reach the grown men who grew up thinking that the Star Wars trilogy was the greatest piece of art ever created. They were intended to induct new, younger fans, the children of the original fans. If anything, I (among others) would argue that The Empire Strikes Back hit a note of such high quality and character-driven pathos that it may have just been incompatible with what was intended to be a series of highly-polished, technologically-advanced, occasionally political, B-movie space adventures. I love the first trilogy for what it was, and I love the prequel trilogy for what it is. I like the great Star Wars video games (Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy, The Force Unleashed, Super Star Wars, Lego Star Wars, etc) and ignore the rest. Even The Clone Wars series turned out to be a relatively smart and exciting action cartoon. And I even treasure the Star Wars Jedi Training Academy show at Disneyland, which is the perfect distraction for my two-year old as my wife holds our place in the long-ass line for the Finding Nemo ride (she's bored by the Jedi, but gets excited when Darth Vader and Darth Maul show up). Point being, there is a whole world of Star Wars entertainment, and everyone can find a part of it that they enjoy best.

It's time to forgive George Lucas for not making the Star Wars prequels that you wanted to see when you were kids. Don't do it for him, do it for yourselves.

Because it is possible to re-edit essays after they have been posted, please feel free to alert me to any typos, grammar issues, and questions of factual accuracy, preferably by email and not in the comments section. And, also, since I often embed video clips, please let me know if any said clips are no longer functioning. Thanks.

About Me

The basics - 31 years old, married with two children, currently residing in Woodland Hills, CA. I am simply a longtime film critic and pundit of sorts, especially in the realm of box office. The main content will be film reviews, trailer reviews, essays, and box office analysis and comparison. I also syndicate myself at The Huffington Post, Valley Scene Magazine, and Open Salon.
I will update as often as my schedule allows. Yes, I'm on Facebook/Twitter/LinkIn, so feel free to find me there. All comments are appreciated, just be civil and try to keep a level discourse, as I will make every effort to do the same.